A major technology transfer problem exists in medical practice, manifested by sub-optimal drug prescribing by physicians, even when clinical and cost evidence are available to prevent such mis-prescribing. In an earlier study for NCHSR, we developed and implemented a new strategy to educate physicians about appropriate prescribing, using a combination of innovative print materials ("un-advertisements") and office visits by clinical pharmacists ("counter-detailers") to update physicians about the pharmacology and cost of several commonly mis-used drug groups. Using a randomized controlled design, 435 physicians received this intervention, printed materials only, or no contact. Medicaid drug claims files were used to monitor changes in prescribing patterns for each study physician. A highly significant (p=.003) reduction in inappropriate prescribing was found for physicians randomized into the full-intervention group as compared with controls. The current research will consider several specific aspects of this form of quality assurance/cost containment intervention including: time course and duration of changed physician practice; substitution of other drug therapies; benefit-cost analysis of large-scale implementation of such a program; association of physician and setting characteristics (e.g., nursing home vs. office) with response to the intervention; process-outcome relationships; and implications for health policy in the public and private sectors.